pumpkin cake

I made a pumpkin cake. Because I had a can of pumpkin.

Pumpkin Cake
recipe found online....

2 cups (400g) sugar
1 cup (236ml) vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups (250g) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1-15 oz can of pumpkin puree

Oven 350F.
Grease a traditional size bundt pan. 
Whisk sugar, oil and eggs for a couple of minutes until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients into the sugar mix, until well mixed.
Stir in pumpkin puree until just combined.
Pour batter into pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top sptings back when lightly poked.
Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes in pan, then unmold onto a plate and cool completely.




My LA trip has come and gone and it didn't quite work out as expected. My flight in was nearly an hour late because they 'couldn't find the plane' for a bit. The friend I was staying with ended up having to work most of the weekend and the pouring rain made walking around kind of miserable. I did end up going to a few cool spots that made the trip. 

First was Intelligentsia coffee in Silver Lake, which was about a half hour walk from the apartment. The most hipster of hipster places I have been in quite a while. The location was awesome, right next to a cheese shop and across from Mohawk General. I ordered a Red Eye, which at 6.50 was probably the most I have ever paid for a cup of coffee. But despite my initial reaction to tell the mustached guy behind the counter to go F off when he told me the price, I paid and waited the few minutes for my coffee. And it was a pretty damn good cup of coffee. I sat outside on their covered patio area and watched all the tattooed, vintage wearing kids walk by. 

Another place was the Annenberg Space for Photography. My friend said he was taking me somewhere on Sunday that was going to be a surprise. Despite all my pestering, he wouldn't tell me where we were going. Even on the drive their. So we pulled into the parking garage, and he led the way. Then I saw the sign and instantly got excited. I had never heard of this place but I was intrigued. They are all National Geographic images, plastered over all the walls, on screens playing with short descriptions and a film going on in the back. The images were gorgeous. They all showed so much emotion and life. The colors were vibrant. And the Martin Schoeller portraits of twins and people of mixed races were some of my favorites. They showed so much of the person.

My last enjoyable moment of the weekend was walking around the Original Farmers Market next to the grove. It was like a little maze of amazing food, produce and lots of people. By the New Orleans food one, their was live music and people dancing. Their was an ice cream shop that I had seen mentioned on some food program before. One with a bunch of pastries and giant croissants. It was impressive. I found the LA Market cookbook to bring back for a friend. For my last day their, when the rain had stopped, this was a good final stop.

boysenberry jam thumbprints

I made some cookies. Last weekend to be honest. I found a recipe which I had all the ingredients for, or ones that were similar enough that I could substitute in what I had. They came out nice. The cookie is very buttery and crumbly, the nuts add a nice crunch and the jam bakes into a sweet sticky center. Use any type of nuts or jam combo you want.

Boysenberry jam thumbprints

Adapted from a better homes recipe.

2 1/2 cups (312g) AP flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup (114g) soft butter

3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar, packed

1 egg

2 cups (240g) walnuts, finely chopped

1/2 cup (150g) boysenberry jam

Oven 350. 

Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat brown sugar and butter until very light and fluffy. Add in egg.

Slowly add in dry mix until just combined.

Using a small cookie or ice cream scoop, scoop out all dough. Roll into balls and then coat all in walnuts.

Place on a lined cookie sheet and make an indentation with your thumb in the center.

Fill centers with jam.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are just golden brown.

Let cool on a rack, completely.

Makes about 2 dozen depending on scoop size.

In 4 days I'll be driving down to my parents house, dropping off Christmas, then heading to the airport. I'm going to LA for a long weekend. I'm staying with a friend who I haven't seen in over a year and get to explore the city. You would think living in Northern California, I would have been to LA before. But I never have. It was always that city full of traffic and smog that we drove through to get to San Diego. I'm excited for a break from work and to see a new city. LA seems like one of those cities that you either love or hate. I don't really know what I'm going to do there. If anyone has any last minute recommendations please send them my way. I was looking up a few things online to do and I came across one really random thing that intrigued me. The museum of death. Filled with letters, artwork and photos of serial killers and such. I told my coworker about it and she looked at me like I was insane. Yes it does seem like a really weird place to go. But such a weird once in a life time crazy experience too. Mind blowing craziness. Or maybe I just have been watching too much Dexter lately.